Rear-end suspension system for drawers and the like



Nov. 20, 1956 H. w. REGENHAEDJ' 2,771,335

REAR-END SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR DRAWERS AND THE LIKE IN V EN TOR. AMA/s h/ fizezwmwpr REAR-END SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR DRAWERS AND THE LIKE Hans W. Regenhardt, Wooster, Ohio, assignor to Record Files, Inc., Wooster, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 8, 1954, Serial No. 473,841

12 Claims. (Cl. 312342) This invention has to do with a filing cabinet or the like incorporating a shell adapted to receive a drawer and, within the shell, a drawer equipped with a novel rear-end suspension system.

In the past, filing cabinets have been provided with anti-friction bearings, either in the shell or on the drawer or both, such being shown, for example, in prior applications Serial No. 317,495, filed October 29, 1952, now Patent No. 2,726,916, granted December 13, 1955, for Filing Cabinet Structure and Serial No. 438,765, filed June 23, 1954, for Cabinets for Filing, Transfer, Storage or the Like, of each of which the present application is in part a continuation. Anti-friction bearings of the kinds therein shown and described have contributed greatly to the smooth operation of the drawer but have not been able to prevent a certain amount of binding when, without entirely removing the drawer from the shell, a drawer that is fully loaded is pulled out of the shell to the max imum permissible extent. In such a situation, binding tends to develop in the last few inches of travel of the drawer, resulting from the fact that at this stage a very considerable part of the weight of the drawer and its contents is transmitted by the rear portion of the drawer to the top front portion of the shell.

The reason for this state of affairs is in the geometry of the shell and drawer, particularly the latter, which develops a turning moment about the lower front edge of the shell as an axis. To minimize the effect which this turning moment exercises on the top front portion of the shell immediately to the rear of the upper front edge of the shell, it is helpful to provide a rear-end suspension system for the drawer. Such systems have been proposed in the past, but in general have not found their way into use, largely because of the fact that they have been cumbersome, have taken too much space in the shell, and have introduced manufacturing, operating and servicing difficulties. The present invention has for its principal objects to provide a file cabinet in which the drawer has associated with it a practicable suspension system which is at once sturdy and foolproof, which is easy to manufacture, operate and service, which does not require an undue amount of space in the shell, and which gives a better distribution of the load imposed on the shell by the drawer and its contents.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective of the rear end of a filing cabinet drawer incorporating the suspension system of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section on a plane paralleling the longitudinal axis of the drawer, the drawer being shown as positioned in the shell of a filing cabinet with the suspension system fully extended;

Figures 3 and 4 are similar vertical sections showing the suspension system partially and fully collapsed, respectively; and

hired States Patent pivotal movement.

Figure 5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 of Figure 4 on a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawer.

In Figure 1 the suspension system of the present invention is illustrated as applied to a drawer that is generally designated it). As further represented in Figures 2 to 5, the drawer is housed within a filing cabinet shell 11, which as shown is of conventional construction. Shell 11 incorporates two metal side walls 12 and 13 to which are respectively affixed tracks 14 and 15, the same taking the form of metal channels that are welded or otherwise attached to the side walls. Interconnecting the two side walls 12 and 13 is a bottom 16. The rear of the shell is closed by an end wall 17. Where tracks 14 and 15 terminate in juxtaposition to end wall 17, each of the tracks carries a frictionally-held block of rubber or rubberlike material which serves as a bumper: Figures 2 to 4 show the bumper 18 at the rear end of track 15.

The drawer itself consists among other things of two side panels 21 and 22 interconnected by a bottom portion 23 (Figure 1). Attached in any suitable way to side panels 21 and 22 and to bottom portion 23 is an end panel 24. In the form of the invention shown, the latter is provided with trapezoidal side flanges 25 (Figure 1) and 26 (Figures 2 to 4) and also with a similar flange below bottom portion 23. This construction is one that is particularly advantageous where the parts are of metal and can be spot-welded to each other to hold them together. So far as the invention is concerned, however, end panel 24 may be of any suitable construction, the precise manner in which it is connected to side panels 21 and 22 and to bottom portion 23 being of secondary importance.

Welded or otherwise rigidly attached to end panel 24 are two uprights 27 and 28 (Figure l). Uprights 27 and 28 are generally similar to the uprights at the rear end of the drawer illustrated in the drawings of copending application Serial No. 438,765, filed June 23, 1954, for Cabinets for Filing, Transfer, Storage or the Like, but, unlike them, are attached to the outside face of the end panel. At their upper ends uprights 27 and 28 are provided as shown in Figure 1 with inwardly directed offsets 27a and 23a. On the latter, above the upwardly projecting main portions of uprights 27 and 28, are mounted sliding bearings 29 and 30 for cooperation with tracks 14 and 15, respectively.

Preferably, but not necessarily, bearings 29 and 30 take the form of blocks of synthetic resin that are pivotally mounted on pintles 31 and 32 on uprights 27 and 28, respectively. Pintles 31 and 32 are enlarged or headed over at their opposite ends in order to prevent or at least limit the lateral displacement of bearings 29 and 30 while at the same time permitting them to have freedom for Bearings 29 and 30 need not take the form of blocks but may if desired be of some different shape; for example, they may take the form of rollers. If desired, they may even be omitted entirely, although in such case uprights 27 and 28, together with pintles 31 and 32, will nevertheless be retained for reasons which will shortly appear. Preferably, bearings 29 and 30 are of nylon FM-10,001 or FM3,001.

Pivotally mounted on pintles 31 and 32 inwardly of offsets 27a and 28a are two metal links 35 and 36 which in normal circumstances extend downwardly and rearwardly from the upper ends of uprights 27 and 28, such links being capable of swinging over an arc of considerable magnitude. At their lower ends links 35 and 36 are pivotally connected as at 37 and 38 to an element 39 of generally frame-like construction that is capable of being moved to a variety of different positions relative to end panel 24 in one of which (Figure 4) it substantially parallels such end panel. Inasmuch as moveable element 39 is rigidly formed, it may, if desired, take the form of a panel; however, in the preferred construction, best seen in Figures 1 and 5, it is formed as a metal frame member made up of two cross pieces 40 and 41 and two side pieces 42 and 43, the cross pieces being welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the side pieces.

In the fully extended position of the suspension system, shown in Figure 2, moveable element 39 projects rearwardly about 6" from end panel 24; in fully collapsed position, shown in Figure 4, it projects rearwardly less than 2".

At their upper ends, side pieces 42 and 43 are formed with outwardly directed offsets 42a and 43a on which are supported bearings 44 and 45 similar to bearings 29 and 30. Bearings 44 and 45 are pivotally mounted on pintles 46 and 47, respectively. By virtue of the fact that offsets 27a and 28a on one hand and offsets 42a and 43a on the other are oppositely directed, bearing 44 is in alignment with bearing 29 and bearing 45 is in alignment with hearing 30; consequently, bearings 29 and 44 are enabled to co-act with each other and with track 14 while bearings 30 and 45 are enabled to co-act with each other and with track 15. All four bearings have sliding movement in a horizontal direction on the tracks with which they respectively cooperate; in addition, bearings 44 and 45 have movement relative to bearings 29 and 30. The nature of this relative movement will be evident from comparison of Figures 2, 3 and 4, in which bearing 45 appears in three different positions in relation to bearing 30.

Toward the lower ends thereof, side pieces 42 and 43 are offset inwardly as at 42b and 43b (Figure 1). Their extreme lower ends are provided with pintles 50 and 51 (Figure 5) on which are mounted bearings 52 and 53 similar to bearings 29, 30 and 44, 45. However, bearings 52 and 53 have vertical rather than horizontal movement, to that end being confined within vertically extending track-like ways 54 and 55 of the nature of metal channels. The latter are welded or otherwise attached to uprights 27 and 28, respectively, and preferably also to end panel 24. As shown in Figure 1, ways 54 and 55 face toward each other and extend from a point near the bottom of drawer to a point nearly half way up end panel 24. This distance is sulficient to accommodate the movement of bearings 52 and 53 between their extreme positions, illustrated by the positions of bearing 53 in Figures 2 and 4.

Bearings 52 and 53 are in their uppermost position when the suspension system is fully extended (Figure 2) and in their lowermost position when it is fully collapsed (Figure 4).

In many cases it is desirable to provide a spring or system of springs tending to pull the lower portion of frame member 39 into elevated position (Figure 2). Most simply this can be done, as shown in Figure 5, by hooking the two ends of a coil spring 56 into suitably formed openings in lower cross piece 41 and end panel 24, the opening in the former being designated 57 and the opening in the latter being designated 58. Coil spring 56 thus can bias frame member 39 and the suspension system as a whole toward fully extended position. This is the normal position of the suspension system when the drawer is pulled out of shell 11 and, as indicated in Figure 2, it is maintained regardless of the position of drawer 10 in shell 11 so long as bearings 44 and 45 are out of contact with the bumpers at the ends of the tracks 14 and 15.

Referring to Figure 2, if it is assumed that drawer 10 is being pushed in the direction shown by the arrow into closed position within shell 11, bearings 44 and 45 will ultimately make contact with the bumpers at the ends of tracks 14 and 15, after which bearings 44 and 45 can proceed no farther in the rearward direction. Thereafter, as the drawer itself continues inward, bearings 29 and30 will approach bearings 44 and 45 and at the same V time bearings 52 and 53 will move downward in ways 54 and 55, this being illustrated in Figure 3. As movement of the drawer continues beyond this stage, the parts assume the positions shown in Figure 4, in which bearings 2h and 30 are juxtaposed to bearings 44 and 45 and bearings 52 and 54 are at the bottom of ways 54 and 55. While this action is taking place, angles a and b at the apices of the isosceles triangles defined by link 36 and side piece 43 (Figure 2) are changing in magnitude, the former increasing and the latter decreasing; however, both triangles remain isosceles triangles throughout the sequence.

In the fully collapsed position shown in Figure 4, the overall space requirements of the suspension system as a whole amount to a matter of only about 2" measured axially of the cabinet. When the drawer is pulled out of its fully closed position in shell 11, the suspension system first expands into a partially collapsed condition such as that shown in Figure 3 and thereafter spreads out until it is finally in the fully extended position shown in Figure 2. The suspension system remains fully extended as the drawer continues its forward movement in shell 11, thus providing a plurality of widely spaced contact areas between the drawer and the cabinet in the zones in which bearings 29, 30 and 44, 45 impinge on tracks 14 and 15. When drawer 10 is in fully opened position, the weight of the drawer and its contents is supported to a very considerable extent by bearings 44 and 45 and the other elements of moveable frame member 39, giving a better distribution of the load than has heretofore been practicable.

After bearings 44 and 45 lose contact with the bumpers at the ends of tracks 14 and 15, it is desirable that some element of the nature of a stop operate to preclude the possible escape of bearings 52 and 53 from ways 54 and A variety of stops will suggest themselves almost any or" which may be used, including stop elements at the upper ends of ways 54 and 55; however, in Figure l a metal tube 59 surrounding coil spring 56 is employed for the purpose. Being sufliciently shown in Figure 1, it is omitted from Figures 2 to 5 in the interests of clarity. While permitting spring 56 to extend as indicated in Figures 3 and 4, it operates to prevent undue retraction of the spring. When the suspension system is in fully extended position the ends .of tube 59 bear against end panel 24 of drawer 10 and cross piece 41 of moveable frame member 39, thus limiting the permissible retraction of the spring.

The suspension system just described may be reversed in relation to drawer 1G by locating ways 54 and 55 near the top rather than near the bottom of uprights 27 and 28, in which case bearings 44 and 45 will of course co-act with the bottom rather than with the top of the shell. In general, the construction of the suspension system may be modified in a wide variety of ways, being capable of being somewhat elaborated if desired or, if preferred, further simplified, as by providing a single pair of centrally located ways on end panel 24 rather than the two oppositely facing pairs of ways shown in the accompanying drawings. Regardless of. form, a more or less general characteristic of the system may be said to reside in the presence of the two isosceles triangles the apices of which are indicated at a and b in Figure 2 and in the described straight-line travel of the bearings forming part of the moveable element where the latter comes into contact with the end panel and with the shell.

These features, particularly as they involve or derive from the presence of the previously mentioned isosceles triangles, make possible the unusually smooth operation that characterizes the drawer of the instant invention. It has already been brought out that because of the geometry of the ordinary shell and drawer, in many cases a substantial turning moment tends to develop about the lower front edge of the shell. This turning moment is responsible for the front end sag which ordinarily occurs when a drawer of the conventional type is pulled much of the way out of the shell in which it is housed. In the improved drawer of the present invention, not only is there no appreciable front end sag in such circumstances, but there is no disposition on the part of the drawer to climb up and over any stationary bearings 60 (Figure which may be provided at the front end of the shell pursuant to the teachings of application Serial No. 317,495. Regardless of whether the greater portion of the drawer be in or out of the shell, the suspension system of the present invention tends to maintain the drawer at precisely the desired horizontal level.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by summarization in appended claims, all features of patentable novelty residing in the invention.

I claim:

1. In a file cabinet or the like, ,a drawer suspension system comprising a panel adapted for bodily movement in a direction paralleling one of the major axes of the cabinet; a moveable frame member extending transversely of said axis; parallel links coupling the frame member to the panel; ways on the panel; and, for imposing sliding movement on the adjoining portion of the frame member, means on the frame member cooperating with the ways on the panel.

2. A drawer suspension system as in claim 1 in which sliding bearings form part of the means on the frame member cooperating with the ways on the panel.

3. A drawer suspension system as in claim 2 in which the sliding bearings take the form of blocks of synthetic resin.

4. A drawer suspension system as in claim 3 in which the blocks are of nylon.

5. A drawer suspension system as in claim 3 in which the blocks are pivotally mounted on the frame member.

6. In a file cabinet or the like, a drawer suspension system comprising a vertical panel adapted for bodily movement in a direction paralleling the horizontal axis of the cabinet; a moveable element extending generally transversely of the horixontal axis of the cabinet, said moveable element being capable of assuming a variety of positions in one of which it parallels said panel; parallel links coupling the ends of said moveable element to said panel; tracks on said panel, one set toward one end thereof and another set toward the opposite end thereof; and bearings on said moveable element in engagement with the tracks on said panel.

7. In a file cabinet or the like, a shell adapted to receive a drawer; tracks on the shell above the path of travel of the drawer; a bodily moveable panel partaking of the movement of the drawer, said panel being provided with bearings in engagement with the tracks on the shell; a moveable element capable of assuming a variety of positions in one of which it parallels said panel; parallel links coupling the ends of said moveable element to said panel; tracks on said panel, one set toward one end thereof and another set toward the opposite end thereof; and bearings on said moveable element in engagement with the tracks on said panel.

8. A file cabinet as in claim 7 in which the moveable element is further provided with other hearings in engagement with the tracks on the shell.

9. A file cabinet as in claim 8 in which all of the bearings take the form of blocks of synthetic resin.

10. A file cabinet as in claim 9 in which the blocks are of nylon.

11. In a file cabinet or the like, a shell adapted to receive a drawer; ways on the shell above the path of travel of the drawer; a bodily moveable panel partaking of the movement of the drawer, said panel being provided with bearings in engagement with the ways on the shell; a moveable element capable of assuming a variety of positions in one of which it parallels said panel; parallel links coupling the ends of said moveable element to said panel; ways on said panel, one set toward one end thereof and another set toward the opposite end thereof; and hearings on said moveable element in engagement with the ways on said panel.

12. In a file cabinet or the like, a shell adapted to receive a drawer; ways on the shell above the path of travel of the drawer; a panel partaking of the movement of the drawer, said panel being provided with means engaging the ways on the shell; a moveable element capable of assuming a variety of positions in one of which it substantially parallels the panel; means interconnecting the moveable element and the panel, said means taking the form of parallel links extending downward from points near the upper portion of the panel to points near the middle of the ends of the moveable element; and bearing means on the moveable element in engagement with the panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,508,269 Koch May 16, 1950 2,646,333 Abrahamson July 21, 1953 2,676,083 Regenhardt Apr. 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 102,783 Great Britain Dec. 28, 1916 

